Young Drivers: PSAs & Infographics
NHTSA Traffic Safety Marketing: Teen Driver Campaigns
Facts about Teen Driver Fatalities:
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (15-18 years old) in the United States, ahead of all other types of injury, disease, or violence.
- In 2017, there were 2,247 people killed in crashes involving a teen driver, of which 755 deaths were the teen driver - a 3% decrease from 2016.
- Parents can be the biggest influencers on teens' choices behind the wheel if they take the time to talk with their teens about some of the biggest driving risks.
GHSA: Curbing Teen Driver Crashes
What to do about teens? That’s an issue every State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) must address in its quest to move toward zero fatalities. Car crashes are the number one cause of injury and death for U.S. teens 15-20 years of age, accounting for more than one in three fatalities in this age group (CDC , 2010). While crash rates are highest for 16-year-old drivers – the initial licensing (unsupervised driving) age in 34 states – drivers under the age of 20 have crash rates nearly four times higher than older drivers (Kweon and Kockelmann, as cited in Lerner et al., 2010). These statistics are particularly troubling since teens represent approximately 15% of the U.S. population, but as drivers in crashes they account for as much as 30% (approximately $26 billion) of the total cost of motor vehicle injuries nationwide (Oleen & Teigen, 2011; CDC, 2010).
